


Smokes & Melodies

by hyucksicles



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: (mark vapes to cope okay), Alternate Universe - College/University, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Relationship(s), Recreational Drug Use, but hes been hurt before, donghyuck is also the sweetest, drugdealer!mark, i promise hes the sweetest, mark is a good boy hes just in some deep shit bc of family shit, meets, singer/songwriter!donghyuck
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2020-02-05
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:54:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21823270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hyucksicles/pseuds/hyucksicles
Summary: Mark really doesn't want a roommate, but business is slow, his boss is scary and he desperately needs to find a way out of the shit he's gotten himself into.Donghyuck really just needs a place to stay.
Relationships: Huang Ren Jun & Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Jeno/Na Jaemin
Comments: 2
Kudos: 48





	1. Gas leak

**Author's Note:**

> hey! this is a twitter au turned fic bc i just really like this concept and think it deserves to be expanded in a way that you can only do in fic writing. not exactly sure how many chapters this will end up being, but ive got a lot of ideas for this au so please stay tuned!
> 
> as always, i hope you enjoy <3

Donghyuck sighs as he sits against the wall next to the door to his apartment. He’s tired and pissed and hasn’t even had a chance to shower so he’s pretty sure he smells a bit iffy. One brush of his hand through the unruly mop of hair on his head tells him just how badly he should shower and he immediately retracts his fingers. 

Getting forced out of bed at ass o’clock by loud knocks and an angry shouting plumber on one of the only nights raging insomniac Donghyuck had actually been able to fall asleep early must have been the worst thing to happen that week. Maybe even the worst thing to happen that year. Not to mention the fact that Donghyuck has less than a day to move out of his apartment due to a gas leak. 

The last few hours had been spent packing all of Donghyuck’s shit up while his roommate spent the entire time on the phone to her mother, furiously complaining as she haphazardly tossed her belongings into her own boxes. 

Donghyuck had had just about enough of her shrill whiny voice, already feeling the beginnings of a headache as he headed out into the hallway, where he now finds himself. 

In all his hassle, Donghyuck hadn’t even had time to do so much as glance at his phone. He pulls it out from where it sits in his tracksuit pants and his fingers find their way over to twitter out of habit. Needing to vent just a little, he posts some vague tweets about his current situation to his followers, watching as hundreds of messages start flooding in. He smiles a little at the amount of concern his fans have for him, but he knows they can’t help. 

His next move is to bombard the group chat, relaying the information the burly plumber and his building’s supervisor had told him hours before. He’s not all that surprised when Jeno’s caller ID lights up his phone after a few minutes. Jeno’s always made it his mission to be there for Donghyuck whenever he needed him, ever since they were little. And although Donghyuck definitely appreciated his friends intentions, he could be bit overbearing at times.

“Donghyuck!”

Donghyuck can’t help but chuckle at the small yell Jeno gives. “Yeah?”

“What do you mean “yeah”? Hyuck, what the hell! Your apartment has a gas leak? Is it… Is it even safe to be there right now?” Jeno’s voice has dropped into a whisper and Donghyuck can hear the hissing of an espresso machine in the background. Jeno should probably not be on his phone right now. 

“Well, it is kinda a safety hazard, which is why we need to be out by tonight.” Donghyuck stretches his back out against the wall, winces as his muscles protest. “But don’t worry, I won’t be getting blown up any time soon… I think.” 

Jeno shuffles around a bit on the other side and a clatter of cups against a table is heard. “Don’t joke about that shit, Donghyuck.” 

Donghyuck wasn’t entirely joking. For all he knows, he could actually be blown into smithereens any second. He doesn’t know how gas leaks work.

“Anyways, you’ll crash at ours until we find you a new apartment.” 

Donghyuck shakes his head with a smile. Jeno has a habit of making Donghyuck’s decisions for him. And while normally Donghyuck is not always fond of his friends habit, he’s very grateful for Jeno right now. 

“You sure Nana won’t mind me barging in and cutting your precious “private time” short?” 

Donghyuck is met with the other boys chuckle. “He’ll manage. besides, it’ll be fun having you around. Do you need any help getting the boxes over?” 

“Nah, it’s fine. I’ll get Renjun to help me with his new boyfriends pick up truck.” 

“You sure he’s gonna lend Renjun his truck?”

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Oh please, have you seen Lucas? The guy would move mountains for Renjun.” 

“If you say so. let me know if anything comes up, though.” 

With a quick glance at the clock, Donghyuck realizes he still needs to pack up the rest of his things before he can leave and finally pushes himself off of the ground. 

“I will. See you later, Jen.” 

“See you later.” There’s another voice down the line and Donghyuck hears Jeno’s call of “Coming!” despite the older boy covering the receiver. “Oh and I can tell Nana to pick up some popcorn, maybe we could do movie night?”

“Sounds good!” Donghyuck is about to hang up before he remembers. “Oh and Jeno?”

“Hmm?”

“Thanks.”

“Always.”

And with that, the conversation ends. Donghyuck makes sure to shoot a quick test to Renjun before re-entering his apartment, ready to complete his task with a little newfound energy. 

* * *

The sky outside burns slowly from orange into red and Donghyuck watches from where he’s sat on the couch, how the light paints everything in a shade of gold. Most of his moving boxes sit untouched around Jeno and Jaemin’s shared apartment, abandoned in favor of their movie night.

Donghyuck had showered as soon as he arrived, desperate to get rid of all the sweat and dust he had collected from all his packing. He made sure to use an obscene amount of shampoo and conditioner, and had lathered his skin in one of Jaemin’s many body washes. 

Now, Donghyuck smells of flowers and peaches, his skin feels silky smooth and he’s a lot more relaxed. And his hair no longer looks like a crows nest, which is a plus. 

Jeno is already cuddled up in a blanket on the other end of the couch, nose sticking out over the top as he scrolls through his phone, shouting out movie suggestions every few seconds to hear Jaemin’s opinion. Donghyuck has already said he doesn’t mind, as long as it isn’t anything too hard to follow. Donghyuck’s mind is beyond exhausted. 

They end up settling for some romcom Donghyuck didn’t know the name of but faintly recalls from somewhere, and Donghyuck can finally settle into his end of the couch with a fluffy blanket around his figure and a bowl of popcorn on his lap.

At some point in the movie, as the story has reached its climax and the world outside has turned dark, Donghyuck’s eyes shift over to his two friends who are both wrapped up in the story. Jaemins head is nuzzled into the space under Jenos chin, his arms caged around the older boys waist while said boy traces lazy patterns up and down Jaemins back. They look comfortable, and warm. 

Donghyuck knows that he can just crawl over and plonk himself down onto Jaemin, or even wriggle his way into being sandwiched by both boys, and they would smother him in affection with no second thought. But as Donghyuck looks at them, tangled up with one another in a way that should in no way be comfortable but still looks like the most comfortable place on earth, a pang of jealousy hits him. 

Donghyuck doesn't like the feeling. It leaves a sour taste in his mouth and reminds him of something he used to have a long time ago. It also makes him angry, angry at himself for even letting the feeling slip past the mental barrier he had put up to keep exactly that from happening. Donghyuck hates jealousy. It makes him feel pathetic. And Donghyuck may be a lot of things, but pathetic is not one of them. Not anymore. 

Training his eyes back to the TV, Donghyuck forces himself to focus on the story, only to witness the two main characters finally kiss after a heartfelt speech. Something about it makes his stomach turn. The scene feels very familiar, Donghyuck swears he must have seen it before. 

There’s a shot of the lovers entering a party and Donghyuck can finally pinpoint why the whole thing had seemed so known. Realization hits him like a brick and an unwanted flood of memories crashes through his brain. The flash of a face, the ghost of a touch, the echo of a voice. The overwhelming sensation makes him let out an audible gasp and he freezes, knowing both of his friends heads are now turned towards him. 

“You okay, Hyuck?” Jaemin asks, a hint of worry to his tone.

“Yeah.” Donghyuck hopes his voice is steady. “Yeah, I just remembered I forgot my toothbrush at my place.” Donghyuck lies. His toothbrush is safely tucked into one of the compartments in his toiletry bag. But they both seem to buy it, judging by Jeno’s next words. 

“Oh, well, that’s fine. I have a spare.” 

“Cool, thanks.” Donghyuck shoots him a smile that he hopes looks genuine and turns his head back to the TV, this time trying to focus on the small dirt stain at the corner of the screen instead of the movie. 

* * *

Jeno and Jaemin’s apartment only has one bedroom so Donghyuck has no other option than to sleep on the couch. He doesn't mind all too much. The couch is big and somewhat comfortable. Besides, Donghyuck’s back is already so fucked up from years of slouching over his computer and being cramped up in the makeshift recording room that was his closet that a few nights on the couch won’t make anything worse. 

Donghyuck lies on his back, head facing the ceiling as he his mind jumps from thought to thought, trying his hardest not to land back on the memories resurfaced earlier in the night. He’d managed to cram it all back in its box, locked away in the darkest crevices of his mind, now the trick was to keep it that way. 

At some point, Donghyuck tries to sleep. He always tries. But alas, like most nights, Donghyuck is left tossing and turning, restless as wriggles around on the couch. 

_Well, might at least do something productive with a brain that never shuts up. ___

____

Donghyuck throws his blanket aside and clambers over to his laptop bag, retrieving the precious device from inside. He squints against the bright light as he opens the thing, swearing at the harshness under his breath. 

____

The ideas in his head seem never ending, so he tries to hone in on just one, picking apart potential themes, melodies, lyrics, until he can feel a story slowly forming inside his mind. Then, Donghyuck cracks his knuckles and gets to work, fingers already starting to fly over the keyboard and his back slouched over towards the screen as always. 

____

He writes, re-writes and writes again. He writes for hours, until his eyes finally droop and his body falls back against the pillows behind him, laptop screen turning black and capturing the first rays of dawn as Donghyuck finally drifts off into dreamland.

____


	2. Late Mornings

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark wakes up with a pounding head and exactly three missed calls and twenty unopened texts from a very concerned, _slightly _overbearing Taeyong.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> update for this series !! ahh finally !! im so happy i got this out now so i can focus on my other wips for a while. but writing this chapter was rlly fun, esp bc for some reason i adore writing taeyong as a stressed mom caring for his almost man-child lol. 
> 
> hope u enjoy <3

Mark’s head pounds as he opens his eyes, having to blink numerous times in order to focus on his surroundings. He lifts his head, rubbing at the numbness in his cheek from having fallen asleep face down on the couch. 

The boy groans as he stretches out his muscles and sits up. Leftover weed from his late night joint rolling session is spread out on the coffee table, along with the rests of a joint Mark had decided to enjoy for himself. With a sigh, Mark rubs both his hands over his face, pausing to remove some of the sleep from his eyes. He lets his eyes roam over his apartment, the modern arrayment of black and white furniture alluding to the fact that this was an apartment most people could not afford at merely nineteen years old.

Head still feeling heavy, Mark reaches for his phone and flips it over, immediately being greeted with about fifty messages from the group chat, three missed calls and twenty messages from Taeyong and two messages from Jaehyun. He pinches the bridge of his nose as he lets his phone fall back down on the table. It was too early to deal with all of that. 

(Early isn't exactly the right word, it was well past noon.)

Mark shuffles into the ensuite kitchen with great difficulty, his body moving about as sluggish as his mind currently feels. After a great deal of effort, he manages to make himself a bowl of the off-brand cheerios he has stashed away in his cabinets and gets to eating. 

Only when the sweet taste of sugary honey and milk hits his taste buds does Mark truly realize how hungry he had been and he gulfs the cereal down as if it were his last meal. He even goes as far as making himself another bowl, completely forgetting about his phone and the slew of messages on it in the process. 

That is, of course, until the sound of his ringtone (an old black eyed peas song) blasts through his phones speakers and carries the sound over to Mark’s ears. He reluctantly puts down his spoon, letting it fall onto the ceramic with a clang as Mark groans for about the tenth time that morning. 

“What?” Mark near hisses into the phone, not bothering to check the caller ID. Not many people ever call Mark except for Taeyong or Jaehyun, so they were the only real plausible options. 

“Oh hey! So, you’re not dead.” It’s Jaehyun. Obviously it’s Jaehyun, if Taeyong had been on the other line Mark wouldn’t have gotten a word in before getting screamed at. 

“Yes, I’m not dead. What is it? Why are you calling me?” 

“Ouch. What’s with the snark? Can’t a bro call his other bro just to check in once in a while?”

Mark pinches the bridge of his nose. His head feels about ready to burst from the way it’s pounding, his muscles ache from exhaustion and his stomach is still grumbling thanks to the half finished cereal that sits at his breakfast bar. He’s not exactly in the mood for Jaehyun’s shenanigans this early in the day. (Again, it’s nowhere near early, but in Mark’s mind it is.)

Mark doesn’t even realize he's said all this out loud until he hear Jaehyun's familiar raspy chuckle down the line. 

“Okay, okay, I get it, I’m sorry.” Mark blinks, feeling a little dizzy, and sits back down on his breakfast stool, choosing to resume eating his cereal. 

“Anyways,” Jaehyun shuffles around a little on the other line, “I just thought I’d call to give you a heads up.”

Mark shoves a spoonful of cheerios into his mouth as he listens. 

“I’m sure you’ve seen the amount of missed texts and calls you have from Yong…” 

A sound of acknowledgement breaks past Mark’s lips, encouraging the older to continue. “So, when you didn’t answer he kinda panicked like he always does and, long story short, he should be at your apartment any minute.” 

Mark chokes around the spoonful of cereal in his mouth. 

He can feel some of the milk dribble down his chin as he coughs, hearing a distant “Dude, are you okay?” from Jaehyun’s end of the call. 

Having somewhat recovered from his minor near death experience, Mark jumps up from his stool, almost sending his bowl of cereal flying in the process. 

“Okay, thanks Jae! Gotta go!” 

“Hey wait-” Mark cuts Jaehyun off by ending the call, his brain focusing on the state of his surroundings. 

Stray pieces of clothing strewn about the floor. A bunch of joints spread out on the coffee table. A few dirty dishes in the sink and a huge stack of take-out boxes piled up next to it. More importantly, absolutely nothing in the fridge except energy drinks and a mars bar. 

Taeyong is going to kill him. 

Mark heaves a sigh through his nose. Okay, okay, he can do this. He can make his apartment look presentable before- 

“Mark!” A muffled shout of his name sounds through the door of his apartment and Mark freezes. 

Fuck. 

“Mark, come open the door! If you don’t, you know I have a spare-”

Mark cuts off Taeyong as he opens the door. The other stands in the hallway outside of his apartment, hair slightly windswept and nose pink from the cold weather that had invaded the city as of late. Hanging from both his hands are two bags filled to the brim with what Mark assumes to be groceries. He makes a move to grab one of them but Taeyong brushes past him before he can do so. 

Taeyong mutters as he power walks into Mark’s apartment, looking much more like a stressed out middle aged mom then the 25 year old university student that he is. 

Mark leans against the door as he slowly lets it fall closed behind him, watching as the older starts unpacking the groceries. He shuffles over, his sock clad feet sliding against the wooden floor. Wanting to help, he reaches out for one of the bags but promptly gets swatted away by Taeyongs hand. 

“No.” Taeyong points his index finger at Mark, looking even more mom-like now. he moves his finger over towards the bar stool. “Sit.”

And Mark sits. He sits, and waits, as Taeyong finishes storing away all the food. Once the older is done, he turns around to look at Mark, crossing his arms as leans on the counter behind him. 

Mark feels like a kid. His glasses sit crooked on his nose, his feet dangle due to the height of the stool he’s sitting on and he’s pretty sure the milk he dribbled on himself earlier has left a stain on his t-shirt. 

Taeyong looks so much older. The dress shirt he’s wearing is pristinely ironed and only folds at the parts where its supposed to fold. His slacks and belt are definitely designer and the cologne he wears is a subtle but strong fragrance that reminds Mark of the few days he spent camping out in the forest once. Even the many piercings that Taeyong wears on both his ears don’t detract from his maturity.

It’s hard to believe that the man who stands before him was once only a scrawny boy, scarcely older than Mark, wrapped up in darker shit than Mark had ever heard of at that time in his life. 

Taeyong wasn’t his brother. But he was the closest thing to it. Years ago, Taeyong had taken Mark in, had put a roof over his head and fed him even when he could barely manage to keep himself afloat. He taught Mark all that he knew, taught him the insiders trade on how the drug trafficking world worked and helped him build up his own little network. And yes, maybe it wasn’t the best idea ever to teach a sixteen year old how to become a successful drug dealer, but it was all Taeyong knew, and it was what got Mark off the streets… in a way. 

Taeyong still dealt with drugs now, although he had stepped down from doing the heavy shit. He hooked students up with some weed here and there, maybe an LSD if they were in the market, but nothing more. He had also stopped using, entirely, even if his boyfriend still liked to smoke a joint on more than one occasion. 

The point is, Taeyong had gotten his shit together. He was in university for God’s sake, and currently interning at one of the biggest tech firms in the city.

Mark on the other hand, wasn’t quite there yet. 

He wasn’t doing bad, per say, but Mark was still very much involved in the ugly sides of the underground world. And he often made deals that didn’t exactly end well for him. 

But hey, he was alive, he lived in a big fancy apartment and he had been cutting down on his weed consumption. Now, instead of smoking weed every day, he vaped. That’s progress, Mark tells himself. 

“Have you eaten yet?” 

The sudden question pulls Mark out of his thoughts. He blinks up at Taeyong, before letting his eyes wander over to the slightly pathetic looking cereal bowl to his right. He grins sheepishly at the older. 

“Alright then. Guess you won't be needing lunch.” Taeyong pushes himself off the counter as he speaks. “But I will be making you dinner.” 

Mark groans, he wants to protest, but Taeyong beats him to it. 

“Ah ah! No arguing. You need a proper meal, and today is my day off anyway.” Taeyong shrugs before he gets closer to Mark, patting the youngers knee. “So it’s fine.” He shoots Mark a smile in good nature, knowing that the other boy will feel like he’s burdening Taeyong on the one day he’s free from responsibilities. 

In reality, it’s quite the opposite. Taeyong _likes _taking care of Mark. He doesn't get to do it very often these days.__

_“For now, why don’t you jump under the shower? Because, no offense Mark,” Taeyong scrunches his nose up, “but you kinda stink.”_

_“Ha ha.” Mark deadpans. But then he sniffs at his shirt and is immediately reminded of the fact that his last shower was two days ago. Recoiling in mild disgust (and a little bit of shame), Mark hops down from the stool and in the direction of his bathroom._

_As he’s about to close the door behind him, he hears Taeyongs voice calling out after him. “Once you’re done we can start cleaning up the place!”_

_Mark closes his eyes and lets his his head lull forward against the dark wood of his bathroom door until it lands there with a thunk. Today was gonna be a long day._

* * *

_Mark scrapes half-heartedly at the last of the greens that decorate the plate in front of him, the rest of the meal he had gulfed down already. Taeyongs cooking was always phenomenal. However, Taeyong was currently wearing a very pensive look, which made Mark nervous and therefore caused him to stop eating._

_He braces himself for what’s to come as Taeyong finally meets his eyes. “I wish you’d move back in with me-”_

_“Hyung.” Mark interjects, slumping back in his seat as he runs his fingers over his face and through his hair._

_“I’m serious.” Taeyong looks at Mark sternly, but the expression dissolves into a pout as soon as Mark peeks at him through the fingers splayed over his face. “I worry about you. If you move back in with me I could make sure-”_

_“Taeyong hyung.” Mark interjects again, letting his hands drop down from his face. “I’m nineteen years old. I can take care of myself.” Mark continues before Taeyong can get a word in. “I have been taking care of myself.” He pauses as he reaches for the can of ginger ale that sits before him. “Besides, I don’t think Jaehyun would appreciate me moving back in.”_

_Mark takes a swig as Taeyong huffs. “Not like he’d have a choice in the matter.”_

_That causes Mark to snort, bringing the can back down from his lips and making sure to swallow so he doesn't choke on his beverage. His expression softens as he notices the crease of worry between the olders eyebrows. “Hyung, you really don’t have to worry about me.”_

_“I’ll always worry about you.” Taeyong smiles fondly as he reaches across the table, taking ahold of Marks hands. “Would you at least consider getting a roommate? So that I know you’re not on your own all the time?”_

_Mark looks at Taeyong incredulously. “A roommate?”, he asks, “Really? You think it would be wise, that me, who works as a _drug dealer _, get a roommate?”___

___Taeyong shrugs. “I don’t see the big problem. Jae knows I sell weed and he’s fine with it. Besides, it’s not like you’re still dealing with heavy shit.”_ _ _

___Mark swallows, tries to keep his expression neutral. Taeyong doesn't have to know the truth. “That’s _different _, hyung. Jaehyun is your _boyfriend. _” He makes sure to roll his eyes as he says it, starting to pile up the empty plates on the table as an excuse not to let Taeyong feel how clammy his hands had gotten._____ _ _

_______“He was my roommate first.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______The chair squeaks as Mark pushes it backwards, standing up in order to carry the used dishes into the kitchen. He pauses as he hears Taeyongs question._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______“Will you at least think about it?”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______He glances a look at Taeyong, his eyes wide in pleading as he stares up at the younger. Mark sighs and nods his head._ _ _ _ _ _ _

_______“Yes, hyung. I promise.”_ _ _ _ _ _ _

**Author's Note:**

> (pssst... follow me on twt if you want! @_neoneversleeps)
> 
> kudos/comments are appreciated!!


End file.
